Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
YVO 94120899 2 15 7 9 ~ ~ PCTlUS94/02888
-- DATA ENTRY DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to data entry into a computer.
" An operator of a computer typically ~nters data into a computer by
typing the data on a keyboard attached to the computer. Some computers
also include a microphone which provides the computer with an electrical
representation of a user's voice. Such computers may include voice
10 recognition software for converting the electrical representation of the
user's voice to text. See for example, U.S. patent No. 5,036,539 entitled "Real
Time Speech Processing Development System"; and U.S. patent No.5,005,203
entitled " Method Of Reco~ni~ing Continuously Spoken Words", both of which
are incorporated herein by this reference.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved data
entry device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENT~ON
In general, the invention relates to a handheld data entry controller.
The data entry controller includes a ~h~ssis having a handle portion which is
shaped to fit in the user's hand, and a cursor transducer, such as a track
ball, attached to the ~ h~c~i~ forproviding asignal le~lesentative of a
desired cursor position on a display screen. The data entry device also
includes a microphone attached to the ~h~ssi~ for providing an acoustic
speech signal representative of a user's speech.
2 5 In one embodiment, the data entry device includes at least one
command button for providing a command signal representative of a
desired command. For example, the device may include a voice command
button, attached to the ~h~ssis, for providing, in response to a user's input, acommand signal indicating whether the acoustic speech signal represents a
3~ spoken command.
This device allows the user to enter da~a and commands to a computer
using a convenient hand held device. Other objects, features and
advantages of the invention are a~ nt from the following description of
preferred embodiments taken together with the drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIFrION OFTHE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an illustration of a hand held data entIy device having a
microphone, a cursor transducer, and several command switches.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the data entry device shown in Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is an illustration of a hand held data entry device for receiving
spoken comm~nds and data.
DESCRIPTION OFTHEPREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Fig. 1, a hand held data entry device 10 includes a c~h~ssis
12. The ~h~ssis supports several input transducers 14-26 for receiving
data and commands from an operator. A tr~nsmi~ssion cable 28iS connected
between the data entry device and a processing device (herein "computer" ) .
The data ent~r device tr~nsmits data and command signals over the
tr~nsmi~sion cable to the computer. In an alternative embodiment, the data
ent~ device includes a radio tr~nsmitter for tr~nsmitting the data and
commands to the computer without the need for a tr~ncmission cable.
The input transducers include a microphone 14, a "track ball" device
16 and a set of buttons 18-26 (Buttons 18-26 can be electrome~h~nica!
switches, membrane switches or any type of transducer known to those
skilled in the art which can be used to accept a user's input).
Referring to Fig.2, microphone 14 generates an electrical signal
representative of an acoustic speech signal. The microphone provides the
electrical signal to a microphone bufferJsignal amplifier 30. The
buffer/amplifier 30 amplifies the microphone signal and tr~n~mits the
amplified signal over tr~n~mission cable 28 to the computer.
The computer includes an analog-to-digital converter for converting
the tr~n~mitted signal to a series of digital samples leplesentative of the
tr~n~mitted signal. In an alternative embodiment, an analog to digital
converter is housed within the ~h~csis. In this embodirnent, the data entry
device tr~nsmits the digital signal to the computer for storage in the
computer's memoIy. In either case, the computer includes speech
recogniticn software for converting the digital samples to text. The text is
then displayed on the computer's screen for viewing by the user. The
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computer further includes text editing software for allowing the user to
modify the text displayed on the screen.
The track ball 16 generates electrical signals ("track ball signals")
representative of the rotation of the ball by a user. A track ball input
buffer/amplifier 32 tr~n~mits the track ball signals to the computer. In
response, the computer moves a cursor on the display screen to a location
determined by the track ball signals. Thus, the user can direct the cursor to
a desired location on the computer screen by manipulating the track ball
while viewing the screen. Other types of input transducers can be used to
manipulate the cursor, such as well known cursor control keys.
The buttons 18-26 are connected to control switch buffer/amplifier
circuitry 34 which produces electrical signals representative of whether the
buttons are asserted. The electrical signals are tr~n~mitted to the computer
over cable 28 to notify the computer that one or more keys have been
1 5 asserted.
Each of the above described input tr~n~dllcers are well known to those
skilled in the art. However, as explained more fully below, they cooperate
when housed in a t-h~csi~ to provide the user with a convenient, hand held
input device for entering a variety of input data.
To begin recording dictation, the user asserts the record button 26 and
begins speaking into the microphone. Control switch buffer/amplifier 34
tr~n~mits a signal to the computer to indicate that the record button has
been asserted. Microphone buffer/amplifier 3Q tr~n~mits a microphone
signal representative of the user's voice. As explained above, the signal is
2 5 either an analog signal or, in embodiments in which an A/D is housed within
the data entry device, a digital signal. In response, the computer begins
storing digital samples of the microphone signal in a memory. To termin~te
dictation, the user releases the record button 260
The computer includes speech recognition software which analyzes the
stored samples and prepares therefrom a document containing a textual
transcript of the speech. The transcript document is displayed on the
computer's display screen for viewing by the user.
To modify the transcript document, as for example if the speech
recognition software mis-transcribed the speech, the user first moves the
3 5 " cursor" on the computer display screen to the location within the text
which requires editing. Toward this end, he manipulates the track ball as
described above. The track ball is housed in the same handheld ~h~ssi~
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which houses the microphone and is conveniently positioned beneath~
user's thumb. Accordingly, the user need not release the microphone to
operate a separate cursor control met h~nism. Rather, he simply
manipulates the track ball with his thumb to direct the cursor to the desired
5 location.
Once the cursor is in place, the user can insert new text at the selected
location by asserting tne record button and speaking into the microphone as
described above.
He can also delete the text adjacent to the cursor by pressing the
10 "cut/delete" button 22. The cut/delete button is housed in the same ~h~ssis
as the microphone and track ball and is conveniently positioned beneath (or
within the reach of) one of the user's fingers.
Alternatively, the user can assert a combination of buttons 18-24 as
described below to select and manipulate blocks of text. First, to mark or
"select" a block of text, the user positions the cur_or to a desired location
using the track ball. He the~ asserts the "mark" button 18 to notify the
computer that the current cursor position marks the beginning of a selected
block of text. He then repositions the cursor to a new position and reasserts
the mark button to notify the computer that the new cursor location marks
the end of the block.
After selecting the block of text, the user can assert the "cut/delete"
button 22 to instruct the computer to remove the selected text from the
document. If the user wishes to replace the text at a different location in
the document, he repositions the cursor to the desired location and presses
the "paste" button 24. In response, the computer inserts the selected test
into the document at the cursor position.
Similarly, the user can copy selected text to a new location without
deleting the selected text. Toward this end, the user selects a block of text
as describe above and then asserts the "copy" button 20. This instructs the
30 computer to copy the selected block of text without deleting it from its
current location. The user then moves the cursor to the desired location and
asserts the paste button to instruct the computer to copy the text to the
selected location.
All of the above described buttons 18-26 are housed in the same
3~ c~h~s~sis as the microphone and track ball and are conveniently located
beneath (or within reach of) one of the user's fingers. Accordingly, the user
can dictate text into the computer, move the cursor on the computer's
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display screen and manipulate the text, all with ~he same handheld device.
Thus, the user need not release the device and move his hands to another
input device to perform the above described functions.
Fig. 3 illustrates a data ent~ device 40 for allowing a user to dictate
5 commands rather than actuating buttons representative of these commands.
Data entIy device 40 includes a microphone 42, a track ball 44, and a record
button 46 which operate identically to microphone 14, track ball 16 and
record button 26 of the above described embodiment.. Data ent~y device 40
also includes a voice comm~nd button 48 which, when asserted, causes the
data ent~ device to tr~n~mit a voice command signal over cable 28 to
notify the computer that the microphone signal represents a spoken
command. For example, the user may assert the voice comm~n~ button 48
and speak the word "mark" into the microphone. Since the voice comm~nd
button was asserted, the computer examines the microphone signal to
identify the spoken command. Upon recogni7ing the command "mark", the
computer performs ~he same operation as performed when the mark button
18 of the previous embodiment was asserted. Simil~rly, the computer can
be programmed to recognize other spoken comm~nds such as the "copy",
"paste" and "cut/delete" commands described above in connection with the
embodiment shown in Fig. 1.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 includes a track ball for entering
cursor control commands. However, the track ball could be replaced by
spoken cursorcontrol commands such as "cursorright", "cursorleft" "cursor
up", and "cursordown".
While the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred
embodiments, it is evident that numerous alternatives, modifications,
variations and uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of theforegoing description. For example, the data ent~ device could implement
the features described above using two microphones, each with a separate
tr~n~mi~sion line for sending the microphone signal to the computer. When
the record button 46 is actuated, the first microphone's signal is tr~n~mitted
over its tr~n~mission line to provide data for transcription. When the voice
command button 48 is actuated, the second microphone's signal is
tr~n~mitted over its tr~n~mission line to provide spoken commands.
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